Shadow Moon is the protagonist of Gaiman’s fascinating novel American Gods, the first story from this setting after 2006’s novella The Monarch of the Glen. In this novelette, Shadow is touring Britain. In a boring rural village with some haunted Roman ruins, he befriends a nice couple in an English pub.

The eponymous dog is not the only ghost around, but the one embodying guilt and depression, hinting at Hemingway and mixing it with classic British folklore. When cats start looking around, you will know that Egyptian goddess Bastet from Shadow’s adventures in America is around.

The story takes a long exposition to build atmosphere. Together with its beautiful language, it brings back good memories of the novel.

Meta: isfdb. This novelette was published 2015 in Gaiman’s collection Trigger Warning.